How Emotional Was the Bowing Greeting?
A special moment during the traditional honoring of artists marking the conclusion of the Kandy Esala Perahera has captured widespread attention on social media.
During the ceremony to honor an 83-year-old performer who had participated in the procession, the artist addressed President Anura Kumara Dissanayake as “son” (puthe) while speaking to him, winning the heartfelt admiration of many. A Facebook post and video reflecting on this touching moment are shared below.
Those who watched the video of this incident might recall that this veteran father approached the President and the Diyawadana Nilame with joined hands in a respectful worshipful gesture.
This was not merely our traditional Ayubowan greeting; it was a humble bow, showing deep reverence.
People familiar with the traditions around the Temple of the Tooth know the humility displayed by performing artists toward the Nilames. He initially began speaking to the President while looking down, his voice barely audible in humble reverence.
This veteran artist has played the trumpet (horanawa) in the Perahera for 69 years—since 1956.
He has performed in the Perahera before Governors-General and Presidents including Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, William Gopallawa, J.R. Jayewardene, Ranasinghe Premadasa, D.B. Wijetunga, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maithripala Sirisena, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and Ranil Wickremesinghe.
In the past, elders referred to Governor-General William Gopallawa as “King Gopallawa.” He later became Sri Lanka’s first President. Having walked in the procession before all these leaders, when Anura Kumara Dissanayake drew him close, held his hand, and inquired about his life, the old man raised his bowed head and looked straight into the President’s face.
“I have been walking in the Perahera for 69 years, son (puthe),” slipped naturally from his lips.
These were not carefully calculated words; they were spoken spontaneously straight from the heart.
While people effortlessly say “Sir,” they rarely try to address the country’s President as “son.”
For a man who has witnessed every head of state since independence to feel that this leader is closer to him than all the rest says everything about Anura. Factions in the opposition might ask what good this does for the country. But it matters to the nation—because to build a humane society, people must first treat each other as human beings.
When Abraham Lincoln in the US asked citizens to address him as “Mr. President,” J.R. Jayewardene in Sri Lanka issued directives to be addressed as “His Excellency the President.” Such attitudes are part of why this country ended up where it did.
As ancient literature notes, the higher a person rises, the more they should bow – just like a ripe stalk of paddy.
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